As a manager, he won two-consecutive league championships with UNAM. After managing Necaxa, he was announced as coach of the Mexico national football team in 2006, but was fired in March 2008 due to poor results.[8] In 2009, Sánchez was named manager of UD Almería, and helped to save the club from relegation.[9]

As of January 2015, Sánchez is a commentator for ESPN in Mexico and the United States. He had been a guest analyst for ESPN during their coverage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[10]

As a teenager, Sánchez played for the Mexico national team at the 1976 Summer Olympics. Having already played in over 80 international matches, Sánchez signed as a youth player at the age of 18 for Pumas de la UNAM, a professional team representing Mexico's national university, where he completed a degree in Dentistry while playing for the first team.[11] Later that year, UNAM managed to win its first championship in the Primera División. Two years later, he became the league's top-scorer with 26 goals.

In 1979, UNAM agreed to exchange players during the off-season with the San Diego Sockers of the North American Soccer League. He played in the NASL during the summer and in the Mexican league during the fall, winter and spring. UNAM loaned Sánchez to the Sockers in 1979 and 1980 where he became a prolific striker for the Sockers, averaging nearly a goal a game.[12]

Sánchez's five seasons with UNAM were during the team's golden years. In 1980–81, his last season with the club, Sánchez and UNAM won its fifth league championship, a CONCACAF Champions Cup and a Copa Interamericana. During his five years with UNAM, Sánchez scored 104 goals in 200 appearances.

After five successful seasons in Mexico, Sánchez drew the attention of several European sides, including that of English club Arsenal,[11] though eventually signing with Spanish side Atlético Madrid in 1981. It took him a while to find his feet in La Liga, only managing twenty league appearances and scoring eight goals in his first season, but by the 1984–85 season he was scoring regularly with a team that won the Copa del Rey, finished second in the league and won the Spanish Super Copa. That year, Sánchez won his first Pichichi trophy for being the most prolific scorer in the league, scoring 19 goals.

On 15 July 1985, Sánchez signed for Real Madrid,[13] playing alongside a famous group of players known as La Quinta del Buitre ("Vulture's Cohort"), which consisted of Emilio Butragueño, Manuel Sanchís, Martín Vázquez, Míchel, and Miguel Pardeza. This team won five consecutive league titles from 1985–86 to 1989–90, a Copa del Rey title in 1989 and the UEFA Cup in 1986. During those five years, Sánchez won four-consecutive Pichichi trophies, becoming the only player in Spanish football history to achieve this without sharing the trophy with any other player in any season, and one of three players to win five Pichichis (the others being Alfredo Di Stéfano and Quini), scoring 208 goals in 283 games in all competitions. He scored 27 or more goals in four consecutive seasons between 1986 and 1990, including 38 goals in the 1989–90 season, tying the single-season record set in 1951 by Telmo Zarra and earning the European Golden Boot award for the best scorer in Europe. Remarkably, all 38 of these goals were scored with only a single touch.[14] In European Cup competitions, Sánchez scored 47 goals in 45 matches.

Sánchez retired from Spanish football on 29 May 1997, playing with Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium. His last official game was during the 1998 World Cup qualifiers, where he touched the ball as a symbol of his retirement.

Sánchez was known for his acrobatic and flamboyant goals. His mastery of the "Chilena", or "Bicycle kick", was a result of his own early training in gymnastics.[3][15] His trademark was to perform a celebratory somersault after each goal he scored, in honour of his sister, who was a gymnast and participated in the Montreal Olympics.[16]

According to his FIFA profile, Sánchez is credited as the creator of the scorpion kick, which was later popularised by Colombian goalkeeper René Higuita.[17]

Sánchez holds the record for most penalties scored in La Liga with 56.[18]

In March 2000, Sánchez became manager of UNAM, who were struggling in the league, signing a two-year deal. Although the team went on to have a good campaign under his leadership, differences between the club president and Sánchez resulted in his sacking in August of that year. "I'll be back when Jimenez Espriu is out. I know I'm right and I know I'll be back", were his words as he left.

After Jimenez Espriu resigned as the club president a year later, the new president, Luis Regueiro, appointed Sánchez as head coach in November 2001.

After building his team up for a number of years, Sánchez' Pumas won everything they played in in 2004: Clausura 2004, Apertura 2004, Champion of Champions 2004 and the Santiago Bernabéu Cup. He also became the only manager in history to lead a Mexican team to two consecutive championships in the Mexican Primera División in the "short tournament" format (South American format).

Unfortunately the success was short lived. Pumas became the worst team of the tournament the following season and in Winter 2005 were having the worst year in its history. Sánchez decided to resign in November 2005.

Club Necaxa, another Mexican team, signed him as a head coach in 2006, and he also became the coach of the Mexico national team that year.

He became coach of La Liga's Almería in early 2009, but after accomplishing the goal of avoiding relegation from La Liga, and despite on 2 June 2009 the Almeria chairman Alfonso García announcing the renewal of his contract,[21] he was released on 20 December 2009.

During his coaching career especially, Sánchez became known for his volatile temperament and his willingness to speak candidly, often expressing strong emotions and opinions, a trait that engenders equally emotional and strong responses from those he criticizes. He had a long-standing feud with former Mexico national Coach, Ricardo La Volpe.

Sánchez's first match as Mexico coach was a 2-0 loss to the United States in Phoenix, Arizona in February, 2007. Sánchez recorded his first victory against Venezuela, a 3-1 win in front of 67,000 fans in San Diego. Hugo's first game in Mexico took place against Paraguay in Monterrey on March 25, 2007, which Mexico won 2-1. A few days later on March 28, 2007, Mexico defeated Ecuador 4-2 in Oakland, California.

In June, 2007 Sánchez coached Mexico in the 2007 edition of the Gold Cup, his first official competition. After struggling in the first stages of the tournament, México reached the final June 24, 2007 and lost 2-1 against the US.

On 27 June 2007, in the opening game of the 2007 Copa América held in Venezuela, Sánchez led the Mexico national team to a stunning 2-0 win Brazil, Hugo's first major victory as a coach. After easing through the group stage of the tournament, Hugo led the team to the semi-finals (beating Paraguay 6-0 in the quarter-finals) where they were beaten 3-0 by Argentina. Mexico ended the tournament in third place by defeating Uruguay 3-1.

In August 2007, Sánchez announced that Mexico would permanently, or at least in his time coaching the team, drop their famous green home kit, replacing it with their white away kit, meaning that their new away kit would be red. For this decision, Sánchez was subject of a lot of criticism. The two main arguments against him were that the decision was breaking a long-standing Mexican tradition, yet the strongest critics suggested that he should devote more time to the strategy and training of the Mexico team rather than entertaining himself with superfluous features of the sport.

In March 2008, Sánchez suffered poor results, including draws with Australia and Finland,[citation needed] and a loss at home in Querétaro against Ecuador's U-23 team. Disappointing results continued in the CONCACAF Olympic Qualification, a draw with Canada and a loss to Guatemala. His only victory was a 5-1 win against Haiti. Mexico were eliminated from the Pre-Olympic qualifying tournament on goal difference.

On 31 March 2008, Hugo Sánchez was fired from his post as Mexican head coach.

Hugo Sánchez is the son of Héctor Sánchez, who was also a footballer who played for Asturias F.C. and Atlante. Sánchez is currently married to Isabel (née Martín), and has two children, a son and an older daughter from his previous marriage. His son, Hugo Sánchez Portugal, was also a footballer and played for UNAM and Atlante. On November 8, 2014, Sánchez Portugal died from the effects of a gas leak in a Mexico City apartment as stated by the Mexican Red Cross.[24]

^"FIFA Classic Player: Mexico's all-time number one". FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association). Hugo Sanchez is credited as the creator of the scorpion kick, later popularised by Colombian goalkeeper Rene Higuita. Though he regularly practised the trick in training, the Mexican striker never scored a goal with it in an official match.